Activision ‘re-writing the rule-book’ on marketing with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

As most of you know Activision released a new live-action trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 today, before temporarily blocking the video on YouTube prior to its official debut tonight. The 60-second trailer, titled "Surprise", was directed by Guy Ritchie and featured big-named actor Robert Downey Jr..

Although Robert Downey Jr. was in the trailer for just a few seconds, it was just an example of the type of investment Activision has in marketing Black Ops 2.

"With Call of Duty we are re-writing the rule-book of how games are marketed.  This is more than a product launch, it's become a cultural event," said Activision CMO Tim Ellis. The trailer also contains additional celebrity cameos like Omar Sy, one of France's top comedic actors, as well as Internet phenoms FPSRussian and iJustine.

"What Treyarch has created this year with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is nothing short of the most innovative Call of Duty title yet," Tim Ellis added.  "So our mission is to meet this creativity with the most dynamic and far-reaching launch campaign we've ever done."

"Everything we do is geared toward reaching our fans — the best community in the world — to celebrate with them the launch this November 13th," he concluded.

The new Black Ops 2 trailer will air tonight in the U.S. during Monday Night Football and will rollout worldwide across high-profile telecasts including elite European football matches.

Black Ops 2 will launch on November 13, 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The game is expected to be released in North America on November 18, 2012, for the Wii U.